Five Already!

Mason - or as I like to call him, The Best Boy Ever - had a birthday. He is five whole years old! Man, that went fast. What an awesome little guy he is. I remember when I found out I was expecting him. I wasn't ready...and I panicked a little bit. His sisters were such a handful and I wasn't sure I could handle another one at that time. But he has been such a blessing, and our family would not have been complete without him. The moment we saw him, we were all smitten...and have been ever since. Right now, Mason loves all things trucks. Trucks are the BOMB!! He loves to work with Grandpa Tippetts, loves digging holes, and he's really got a talent for building things in Minecraft. Man, he's cute.

Matty Turns 11!

For Matty's 11th birthday, we had a family party at the park with a My Little Pony theme. We enjoyed cake, hitting a piñata, and watching Matty open her presents. (that's always the best part - she gets SO excited over all of her presents) Matty is such a blessing to us! She's SUPER!!!

Super Matty!

Anastyn's Special Birthday

What a beautiful girl. Absolutely beautiful! And so excited to be baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! She was baptized on her birthday by her Daddy at the stake building in Lovell. Many, many loved ones came to support her on this special day.  Uncle Kaleb and our dear friend, Kylee Thormahlen, both spoke to her about baptism, the holy ghost and repentance. Afterward, we enjoyed a yummy chili dinner and, of course, a beautiful and delicious cake made by Aletha Durtsche. I love this girl beyond words and am so grateful that she chose to make covenants with her Heavenly Father on this important day.

Disneyland!

February 2013

Ah! Disneyland! The happiest place on Earth!!! We sold firewood and saved all our pennies so we could take the kids to California to visit Aunt Chelsea and Mickey Mouse. We had a wonderful time. Mom and Dad went with, and we also celebrated Dad's 60th birthday while we were there!

We spent time at a couple beaches, spent 3 days at Disney and California Adventure, went to the zoo, visited the Griffith Observatory, saw the Space Shuttle Endeavor exhibit at the California ScienCenter, ate out a lot, and Kyle and Kage got to go to a Clippers/Jazz game! The kids even loved the plane rides there and back. We had so much fun! I can't wait to take the kids back again someday (when we save up a whole lot of pennies again!)

Six is Sweet!!

Anastyn turned six this year! She is so sweet that we decided to have a Candyland birthday party! It was her very first "friend" party! The house was overflowing with giggling girls. I think she enjoyed it! We had a life size Candyland game through the house. We played pin the sucker on the game board. And we had a candy buffet!! I think we succeeded in making her feel pretty special. We love this little lady so very much! What a blessing she is to us!!

 We also had a family birthday party in Lovell. Party, party, party! That's what we do!!

My 2nd Birthday!

At 2 years old I:

• am still so sweet and mild mannered
• love to do pretend yardwork with my pretend lawn mower, weed wacker, and shovels
• say I am '2' but my hand says I am '5'
• was so excited to open my presents. I wanted nothing to do with singing, blowing out candles or eating birthday cake!
•  am a man of few words...but I understand everything YOU say!
• love Grandmas and Grandpas 
• like when people read to me
• like to look at 'I Spy' books
• love to go fishing
• like to spot animals along the road
• would rather be outside more than anywhere else
• still take a nap
• like to wear my baseball cap...just like Daddy
• love to play with trucks and trains

As you can see by the pictures, Mason had one of those extended birthdays. That's why he has so many different outfits on! We decided to take Mason fishing for his birthday party. We had a picnic at Beck Lake in Cody. Mason didn't care to eat because he was preoccupied with the pile of presents. He didn't want us to sing to him, and he didn't want to blow out his candles. He didn't even want a piece of his birthday cake!! So, we just did all of that without him while he opened presents and played with his stuff. It got a little stormy on us, but we were able to take his new fishing pole over to the lake and he actually caught a fish all by himself! He did finally eat some birthday cake the next day when he had 'time'. :)

We are so blessed to have Mason in our family! I don't think there has ever been a sweeter little boy! He is so much fun and all BOY (except for when his sisters get a hold of him!) Happy Birthday Buddy!!!!!!!

8 is Great!

 Matty turned 8 at the beginning of this month! She had a great day! Usually school is out for the summer before Matty's birthday, but this year our summer vacation came a little later and Matty got to take cupcakes to 1st grade! She was thrilled! She had a lovely birthday party at Grandma Marla and Grandpa Jim's house. Lots of family came to help her celebrate. We had a BBQ and ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Presents were opened in true Matty fashion! She is the funnest child to watch open gifts. She gets extremely excited over everything. Cards, small sums of cash, movies she already owns, underwear.  Oddly enough, she was less impressed with the wii we got her. Go figure. :) Anyways, she says things like "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!!!" and "Oh My Goodness Sakes Heavens!!". She is always full of 'thank yous' and hugs. When it was time to blow out the candles on the cake and we weren't quite moving fast enough, she ordered us - "Sing To Me!"  Our family's version of the Happy Birthday song includes a bit at the end where everyone sings "How old are you? How old are you? How oooold are you? Happy Birthday to you!" and the Birthday girl is supposed to sing back her age. Matty got a little flustered and couldn't remember what to sing for a minute. We kind of reminded her but she didn't want any help from us. She shushed us and continued, "I am now eighty years old, I am now forty-eight years ooooold!".  Ha ha ha! We chuckled for a while about that one. What a cutie!

Well, Matty was especially excited about turning eight this year because that is the age when you can be baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! We had her baptism on the last day of June. It was such a beautiful occasion. Matty had been given a beautiful white dress on her birthday to wear on her baptism day. She looked and felt like a princess. She had so many friends and family come to support her on her special day. She and Anastyn even sang a song together during the baptism. She was baptized and confirmed by her Daddy. It was a lovely service. We had a family dinner afterwards complete with a cake made by Aletha Durtsche (our very favorite cake lady. ever.)

Beautiful Day. Beautiful Girl!

 Congratulations Matalyn Cate!!

A Handful!

Yes, Miss Anastyn is officially a handful! She turned FIVE the other day! I just can't believe how quickly time is speeding by. This year she will be off to Kindergarten, and I just don't know what I will do without her. She had one of those extended birthdays this year. She actually missed her first birthday party so-to-speak. :) She has a blonde mother. A really super (blonde) mother that sent out a very mistaken text about the date of her actual birthday party! It was a good practice run for everybody I guess. Anyways, her birthday party was a couple days before her birthday. We ate at Pizza On The Run and she got to play in the bounce house. She wanted a chocolate Barbie cake. I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out half-way easy on the eyes. :) She got many fun gifts including clothes, jewelry, a jewelry box, Leap Frog games, and money. She was given the royal treatment on her birthday. We stayed home and focused on her every whim! We painted her fingernails and toenails, cuddled and watched movies, she got to take a bubble bath (instead of the quick shower her mother prefers) and got to eat spaghetti for dinner! She had a second (very small, very casual) party on her birthday. She got to help decorate the cupcakes and had some of her very favorite friends over to enjoy them with her. And a couple days later, she was delighted to find another package in the mail from Aunt Chels. It came in one of those fancy envelopes you can buy at the Post Office. It had cupcakes on it. She couldn't believe her eyes and wondered how in the world Aunt Chelsea could possibly have known that she had cupcakes on her birthday! he he! 

So what do I have to say about Anastyn and her five years? A lot, actually:

She's just a great girl. She loves her kittens and her dog. She takes such good care of them! She loves to help with her little brother. She loves him dearly and thinks he is the cutest thing in the whole wide world. She has a beautiful voice. She goes to preschool and loves to learn anything and everything. She is like a sponge. She is hungry for knowledge and asks an almost unbearable amount of questions in a day. She is very fashion conscious and will not wear 'just anything'. She has many friends and loves to be around other people. She is forgiving. She loves her family 'more than birthdays and chocolate, more than anything in the whole world - except for Jesus' (in her own words). She loves Barbie movies, Angelina Ballerina, and the Backyardigans. She enjoys listening to storybooks and playing games. She is very fond of spaghetti and ham sandwiches and candy and not-so-fond of anything else. :) She likes everything to be 'just right' at bed-time and can't go to sleep without several hugs and kisses, a drink of water, and the reassurance that I will wake her up if there is anything that I might need to tell her in the middle of the night! She loves to prance around the house in her ballerina dress. Every once in a while she is allowed to wear it all day long...that's when she's in heaven! She is definitely our favorite 5-year-old and she could definitely never be replaced. She is a blessing to our family. She brings countless smiles to our faces and an endless supply of warm fuzzies to our hearts. We love you Anastyn! Please don't grow up too fast!!!! xoxoxo

The Big {ONE}

HaPpY BiRtHdAy, MaSoN bEaU!!!!!

This little family of ours couldn't have asked for a

sweeter, cuter, funner, or cuddlier little boy!

At One Year Old, Mason:

• Walks like a maniac
• Still does not sleep all thru the night...or in his own bed
• Is getting the hang of a sippy cup
• Seems to always be sporting a bruise (or two) on his forehead
• Loves to push buttons, turn knobs, take things apart and put them back together
• Is so happy when he is outside in the fresh air
• Enjoys teasing his older sisters
• Is happy and easy-going almost always
• Loves taking showers and baths
• Loves his mama, but is also a HUGE fan of daddy
• Is adored by his two big sisters. They both think he is absolutely awesome, and they love to take care of him and play with him.

Lucky #7!

Matty celebrated birthday #7 a little over a week ago!

In honor of the 7 years our family has been blessed

by this little lady, here are 7 of Matty's current favorite things!

Favorite Song:  "I Am A Child of God"

Favorite Color: Purple

Favorite Person: Mom

Favorite Toy: Tangled Doll

Favorite Movie:  Hannah Montana

Favorite Food: Hamburgers and Popcorn

Favorite Thing to Do: Play with Anastyn

Fore!

Look out world! Anastyn is now FOUR years old!!! I told her I didn't want her to turn 4. I wanted her to stay 3. She smiled at me sweetly and told me she just had to turn 4 because it was her birthday. But I think she understood where I was coming from. Anastyn's birthday is today, but we did all the celebrating yesterday. She had quite the day. It all started with an early morning appointment at Aunt Kacee's salon where she was pampered from head to toe. She felt so special and beautiful by the time Kacee was finished. She worried about her hair going flat all day! Then we drove to Lovell to get everything ready for her "Tangled" birthday party. When we got to Lovell, Daddy took her and Matty to go iceskating with BrookLynn, Elle, and Ava out at the Moncur skate pond. Oh boy was she excited about that! She loved it and I think we will have to do it again before winter is over. Unfortunately, I was at my mom's getting food and cake ready...so I missed out on all the fun! Anastyn enjoyed her party.  My children have not been introduced to the "friend party" yet - so Anastyn was perfectly happy just having her family over for a BBQ. She was excited about her "Tangled" cake and of course, all her presents!!

Today there is nothing but leftovers and the occasional "Happy Birthday Anastyn"!! We are all celebrated out!!

Anastyn Belle....you add so much sparkle to our lives.....we love you oh-so-much!! xoxoxoxoxoxo

Anastyn's day from start to finish:

Mani/Pedi - which colors????

she wanted RED - we talked her into a pinkish-red. :) And purple sparklies on her toes.

Meanwhile, Mason enjoyed a scalp massage from Grandma!

Had to re-do fingers after we did toes. Somebody had the wiggles!!!

Matty tried to entertain Mason - he loves her so much!

Anastyn also got a cut and style - she loved her princess curlies!

Matty kept insisting that Anastyn needed a crown. :)

I was told that Kyle took a spill on the ice - with a little help from Matty. Wish I could've seen that!!!

It wouldn't be a party without presents!!

No close-ups of the cake. I have neither the patience or the talent for making cakes. It has Rapunzel on it. And a tower. It was purple. That's all you need to know. ;)